Identify potential liability issues in early stages of...
Transcript of Identify potential liability issues in early stages of...
Identify potential liability issues
in early stages of drug discovery
www.wuxiapptec.com
Enabling Unbounded Possibilities
Drug induced toxicity is one of the leading causes of drug candidate failure in preclinical and clinical testing stage, and
also the major reason for the withdrawal of approved drugs from the market. Initial toxicity testing is required during the
nonclinical phase of development and relies primarily on animal studies. While these animal models have provided useful
information on the safety of chemicals, they are relatively expensive, low-throughput, and sometimes inconsistently
predictive of human biology and pathophysiology because of the species difference. With increasing numbers of new
chemical entities for environmental and pharmaceutical uses, it is necessary to find a rapid and efficient method to
screen chemicals for their potential toxicities. Since most drug-induced toxicity is due to toxic effects at the cellular level,
alternative in vitro models are increasingly being used to estimate in vivo responses, to reduce and/or replace in vivo
animal testing, and to increase the throughput. This idea is supported by the 2007 NRC report, "Toxicity Testing in the
21st Century (TT21C): A Vision and a Strategy1." This report predicts substantial advances in toxicity testing in the near
future which are much more specific and predictive of human toxicity. In vitro toxicity testing studies are faster, simpler
and more scalable so they can be used in the early drug discovery stage to predict potential risk. This would not only be
economical but ethical as it could markedly reduce the number of animal usage.
To address the need for early stage in vitro toxicity testing, WuXi AppTec Biology offers a panel of toxicity assays at the
cellular level by utilizing cutting-edge technologies, such as conventional and automated patch clamp and high content
screening (HCS). Applying these assays to your lead ID and optimization strategy can help provide a more thorough
analysis of the severity and specificity of toxicity. This information can then be used to guide candidate compounds
through the planning and execution of downstream in vivo tests.
1) Cardiotoxicity
• hERG and other ion channel test
• Stem cell derived cardiomyocyte test on MEA
2) General Cytotoxicity
• Cell Viability Assay
• Apoptosis Assay
• CellTox™ Green Cytotoxicity Assay
• ApoTox-Glo™ Triplex Assay
3) Mitochondrial Toxicity
• Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Assay
• Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Assay
• Oxygen Consumption Assay: MitoXpress® Xtra OCR Assay
• MitoXpress® Cellular Energy Flux OCR/ECAR Assay
• Glucose/Galactose Assay
• MitoBiogenesis Assay
4) Lipotoxicity
• Phospholipidosis Assay
• Steatosis Assay
5) Hepatotoxicity
6) Nephrotoxicity
7) Genotoxicity
• Ames Assay
• In vitro Micronucleus Assay
8) Phototoxicity
• In vitro 3T3 NRU Phototoxicity Test
Unintended drug-induced arrhythmia, in particular Torsade de Pointe arrhythmia (TdP), have been responsible for
approximately 21.4% of drug withdrawals from markets between 1990 and 2012. For the past decade, cardiac safety
screening studies have been conducted according to ICH S7B and ICH E14 guidelines. The ICH S7B guideline includes an
in vitro IKr (hERG) assay and an in vivo ECG assay to identify the potential for delayed repolarization (QT interval
prolongation). Although hERG is the most important channel related to the risk of TdP, hERG screening alone cannot
reliably detect potential cardiac adverse side effects. Furthermore, this over-simplified and highly sensitive approach can
result in unwarranted attrition of novel drug candidates owing to false-positive findings. Recently a new paradigm to
examine cardiotoxicity called the Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) was proposed to replace the
current ICH S7B/E14 guidelines. The CIPA core assays include: 1. the assessment of drug candidate effects on multiple
human ventricular ionic channels and in silico reconstruction of human heart ventricular action potential to predict the
proarrhythmic risk; and 2. the confirmation study using human stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes2,3.
Figure 1. Diagrammatic representation of CiPA2
WuXi AppTec provides a combination of assay platforms that include manual and automated patch-clamp and
microelectrode array (MEA) to access drug candidate effects on multiple cardiac ion channels (Table 1) as well as stem
cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes as CIPA recommended.
Table 1. Cardiac ion channel panel
(CIPA recommended3).
Figure 2. Sample traces recorded from QPatch automatic patch clamp system (A), Manual patch clamp (B) and MEA
system (C). The cells used in QPatch are the CHO-hERG stable cell line, while in Manual patch clamp are HEK-Cav1.2
stable cell line; hiPSC-vCMs were used in MEA system.
WuXi AppTec Biology obtains human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived ventricle cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-vCMs) from
a third party vendor. The purity of the ventricular cardiomyocytes is over 90%, which is the highest number seen in the
literature. The action potential, main ion channel properties and development process of the hiPSC-vCMs have all been
fully validated using the manual patch clamp system at WuXi AppTec4. WuXi AppTec Biology now offers CIPA
confirmatory electrophysiological test3 with MEA (Maestro Pro, Axion) to analyze the effects of compounds on hiPSC-
vCMs.
In addition, to satisfy the mechanistic study or high throughput study needs, WuXi AppTec Biology also provides
traditional radioligand binding and fluorescence signal detection assays. The service for some other cardiac targets such
as Kv1.5 (Ikur) and Cav3.2 (ICa,T) is also available.
Cytotoxicity testing is mandated by the FDA and CFDA for IND/CTA submission and is typically performed during the
nonclinical phase of discovery. In recent decades, it is well accepted that in vitro cytotoxicity testing methods should be
considered before animals are dosed to examine acute oral systemic toxicity. Identifying potential cytotoxicity early in
the process can dramatically save both time and capital by eliminating likely toxic compounds prior to pivotal animal
studies. Additionally cell-based assays are easy to scale for medium or high throughput screening and guiding go/no-go
decisions.
Cell Viability: ATP production measured in active cells
0.0001 0.01 1 100-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Staurosporine (μM)
Gro
wth
In
hib
itio
n %
0.1 1 10 100 1000-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Nefazodone (μM)
Gro
wth
In
hib
itio
n %
A B
IC50 = 48.09 ±7.11µMn=5
IC50 = 0.036 ±0.007µMn=5
(A) In a 384-well HepG2 cell viability assay,
24 hours of Nefazodone treatment
inhibited cell viability in a concentration
dependent manner (n=5).
(B) After 72 hours treatment in 384-well
plates, Staurosporine showed
concentration dependent inhibition on
the viability of HepG2 cells (n=5).
The CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega): This is a homogeneous method to determine the
number of viable cells based on quantitation of the ATP present, which is a marker for the presence of metabolically
active cells. WuXi AppTec Biology has fully validated this assay with a wide range of cell types, in both 96- and 384-well
format, using EnVision (Perkin Elmer) as the luminescent signal reader.
Apoptosis: Caspase assay
Activation of the caspase cascade is an integral event in the apoptotic pathway. WuXi AppTec Biology uses Caspase-
Glo® 3/7 Assay kit (Promega) to measure caspase-3 and caspase-7 activities. The assay was fully validated on HepG2
Cells with EnVision as the Luminescence signal reader. Available in both 96- and 384-well format.
0
1 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
4 0 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 1 0
0.2
%D
MS
O
H e p G 2 1 8 h
H e p G 2 6 h
S ta u ro s p o r in e (μ M )
RL
U
Staurosporine increased caspase activity. In a 96-well plate assay staurosporine
concentration-dependently increased caspase activities in the HepG2 cells. EC50
was 0.07 µM and 0.23 µM for 6-hour and 18-hour staurosporine treatment,
respectively.
CellTox™ Green Cytotoxicity Assay (Promega)
The CellTox™ Green Cytotoxicity Assay measures changes in membrane integrity that occur as a result of cell death. The
assay system uses a proprietary asymmetric cyanine dye that is excluded from viable cells but preferentially stains dead
cell DNA. Viable cells produce no appreciable increases in fluorescence. Therefore, the fluorescent signal produced by
the dye binding to the dead-cell DNA is proportional to cytotoxicity. We now offer this assay in both 96- and 384-well
format on various cell types, using Envision as the signal detector. This assay can be combined with CellTiter-Fluor™ Cell
Viability Assay or CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega).
CellTox™ Green Dye binds DNA of cells
with impaired membrane integrity.
LN-18 cells were exposed to staurosporine with indicated concentrations in a
384-well assay plate for 24 hours. Fluorescence associated with cytotoxicity
was measured after CellTox™ Green Reagent was applied, then the CellTiter-
Fluor Reagent was applied and fluorescence signal was measured. These
measurements produced similar EC50 values.
ApoTox-Glo™ Triplex Assay (Promega)
The ApoTox-Glo™ Triplex Assay combines three Promega assay chemistries to assess viability, cytotoxicity and caspase
activation events within a single assay well. The first part of the assay simultaneously measures two protease activities;
one is a marker of cell viability, and the other is a marker of cytotoxicity. The second part of the assay uses the Caspase-
Glo® Assay Technology to detect caspase activities. WuXi AppTec has validated this assay with various cell types, using
Envision as the signal reader.
In the 384-well assay with LN-18 cells, seven hours staurosporine treatment
caused concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability, increase in
cytotoxicity and increase in caspase-3/7 activities.
Mitochondria play a pivotal role in cellular energy (ATP) production and maintaining homeostasis. Mitochondrial
dysfunction is increasingly implicated as a major contributor to drug-induced toxicity, leading to the discontinuation of
prominent drugs, including troglitazone, cerivastatin and nefazodone. In addition to post-market drug withdrawals,
mitochondrial liabilities have also been associated with many drugs carrying a black box label for hepatic and cardiac
toxicity.
WuXi AppTec offers a set of in vitro assays to access mitochondrial toxicity from different endpoint.
Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Assay
Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) is tightly interlinked to many mitochondrial processes so it is a key indicator
of mitochondrial function and cell health. The dissipation of MMP is considered an early indicator of apoptosis.
WuXi Biology offers a plate based HCS assay to detect the MMP, using the Acumen Cellista (TTP Labtech) with MITO-ID®
Membrane Potential Cytotoxicity Kit (ENZO Life Sciences). The assay is available in both 96- or 384-well format, and in a
wide range of cells.
The MITO-ID® Membrane Potential Cytotoxicity Kit utilizes a cationic dual-emission dye that exists as green fluorescent monomers in the
cytosol, and accumulates as orange fluorescent aggregates in the mitochondria. Cells exhibit a shift from orange to green fluorescence as
mitochondrial function becomes increasingly compromised.
±
After one hour treatment, two references compounds, FCCP and Antimycin
A, showed MMP inhibition in the 384-well assay plate using HepG2 cells
(n=4). The IC50 values are close to the literature.
Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Assay: ROS-Glo™ H2O2 Assay
Mitochondrial dysfunction usually causes increased free radical production. The predominant source of free radical
generation is the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and inhibition of this process is often connected to increased levels of
reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the different ROS generated in cell culture, H2O2 is convenient to assay because of the
long half-life in cultured cells. A change in H2O2 can reflect a general change in the ROS level.
WuXi Biology has validated a plate based assay using ROS-Glo™ H2O2 assay kit (Promega) to detect H2O2 levels. The
assay is available in both 96- or 384-well format, and can also be combined with other cytotoxicity measurements.
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
0.1 1 10 100 1000
DM
SO
ROS-Glo H2O2 Assay
CellTiter-Glo Assay
Menadione (μM)
Lu
min
escen
ce(R
LU
) In this representative example, the ROS-Glo™ H2O2 assay and the CellTiter-Glo®
Luminescent Cell Viability were performed on the same HepG2 cells in a 384-well
format. The cells were treated with ROS-generating compound menadione as well as
H₂O₂ substrate. After incubation at 37°C for two hours, the half volume of supernatant
was used for ROS-Glo™ H₂O₂ detection, while the cells were lysed for CellTiter-Glo®
detection. The luminescence signal from both assays measured with EnVision.
Menadione had an EC50 of 8.96 μM in the ROS-Glo™ H₂O₂ assay, and an IC50 of 11.28
μM in the CellTiter-Glo® assay.
Oxygen Consumption Assay: MitoXpress® Xtra OCR Assay (HS method) (Luxcel)
The MitoXpress® Xtra assay directly measures immediate and acute drug effects on mitochondrial oxidative
phosphorylation (Oxygen Consumption Rate, OCR) and is the most effective high throughput screen for Mitochondrial
Toxicity using whole cells. Oxygen consumption is the most important parameter for the direct and specific assessment
of the function of the electron transport chain, the cornerstone of oxidative phosphorylation and cellular metabolism. In
the MitoXpress® Xtra OCR assay, the MitoXpress® reagent is quenched by oxygen, whereby oxygen depletion caused
by mitochondrial activity causes an increase in probe signal, with rates of oxygen consumption calculated from the
changes in fluorescence signal over time. Available in a 384- or 96-well high throughput format, this assay is compatible
with a very wide range of primary, iPS or cell line models and both 2D and 3D culture systems.
Results from a typical 96-well MitoXpress® Xtra (HS method)
OCR concentration-response assay for two mitochondrial
inhibitors, Rotenone and Nefazodone. The HL60 cells were
used in the assay.
MitoXpress® Cellular Energy Flux OCR/ECAR Assay (Luxcel)
A deeper, investigative analysis to understand the mechanism of mitochondrial toxicity and its relationship to cellular
ATP production is made possible through the addition of Luxcel Biosciences pH Xtra – Glycolysis Assay; detecting in real-
time the combined effects on OCR and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR)5. This assay is available in a 384- or 96-well
high throughput format.
A BResults from typical 384-well MitoXpress® Cellular
Energy Flux OCR/ECAR assay with HL60 cells, illustrating
the difference between a classic mitochondrial inhibitor,
Rotenone, which decreased OCR / increased ECAR (A);
and a non-specific cytotoxic drug, Tamoxifen, which
decreased both OCR and ECAR (B).
Glucose/Galactose Assay
Replacing glucose with galactose in the cell media increases the reliance of the cells on mitochondrial oxidative
phosphorylation, thereby increasing susceptibility to the implications of mitochondrial insult. By comparing the
differential toxic effects on glucose and galactose grown cells it will differentiate mitochondrial toxicity from non-specific
cytotoxicity.
We use HepG2 cells cultured in either glucose (25 mM) or galactose (10 mM), with cytotoxicity assessed using CellTitre-
Glo™ (Promega). A mitochondrial toxicant is indicated by a greater than three-fold change in IC50 value observed in the
glucose media compared to the galactose media.
Illustration of the 24-hour treatment data for the
mitochondrial uncoupler, FCCP (A), and inhibitor,
nefazodone (B). A > 3-fold and 3.7-fold increase in
IC50 value is observed for FCCP and nefazodone,
respectively, in glucose media compared with
galactose media.
MitoBiogenesis Assay
Determination of the mitochondrial biogenesis level relative to the cellular protein synthesis provides important
information on potential mitochondrial toxicity. This is particularly important for antiviral and antibiotic new drug
development because the similarity between mitochondrial biogenesis and bacterial/viral replication. Many such drugs
can cause serious mitochondrial toxicity.
Our mitobiogenesis assay uses Odyssey (LI-COR) with MitoBiogenesis™ In-Cell ELISA Kit (IR) (Abcam). The assay has been
validated on HepG2 cells and are available in both 96- and 384-well format.
This assay simultaneously measures the levels of two
mitochondrial proteins, Mitochondrial DNA encoded
COXI and nuclear DNA encoded SDH-A. The specific
inhibition of Mitochondrial DNA encoded protein
synthesis by chloramphenicol is thus easily observed.
Inhibition of mitochondrial biogenesis by chloramphenicol.
(A) HepG2 were seeded at 1200 cells/well in 384 well plate,
Chloramphenicol inhibits COX-I protein synthesis relative to
SDH-A protein synthesis. (B) The overall mitochondrial
biogenesis inhibition was calculated from the ratio of
measured COX-I/SDH-A protein levels.
Phospholipidosis is a lysosomal storage disorder and characterized by the accumulation of excess phospholipid
complexes within the internal lysosomal membranes. Cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs), such as antibiotics,
antidepressants, antihistamines and other prescription drugs, have been identified as inducers of phospholipidosis. The
US FDA has acknowledged that drug-induced phospholipidosis is an adverse drug reaction7.
Steatosis is the situation of cytoplasmic accumulation of neutral lipids. Some drug can interfere with hepatic lipid
processing, leading to accumulation of triglycerides within the liver cells. This condition may lead to harmful liver
inflammation, or steatohepatitis.
Both drug induced phospholipidosis and steatosis are often reversible conditions without remarkable consequences;
however, after prolonged exposure to a particular drug, they can lead to long-term toxic effects. Therefore drug induced
cellular lipotoxicity leading to phospholipidosis and/or steatosis should be evaluated during the early drug discovery
stage to minimize potential risk.
WuXi AppTec now offer in vitro HCS assays on HepG2 cells using the HCS LipidTOX™ Stains (Thermo Fisher Scientific),
with the CQ1 (confocal quantitative image cytometer, Yokogawa Electric Corporation), or Acumen Cellista (TTP Labtech)
as the image reader. Phospholipidosis is detected with the LipidTOX™ Red phospholipid stain, while steatosis is detected
with the LipidTOX™ Green neutral lipid stain.
A B
0.1 1
10
100
0 .0 0
0 .2 5
0 .5 0
0 .7 5
1 .0 0
1 .2 5
C h lo ra m p h e n ic o l (μ M )
Re
lati
ve
Sig
na
l
C O X -1
S D H -A
0.1 1
10
100
0
2 0
4 0
6 0
8 0
1 0 0
1 2 0
C h lo ra m p h e n ic o l (μ M )
Inh
ibit
ion
(%
)
Phospholipidosis assay
HepG2 cells were exposed to test articles and LipidTox reagent in a 96-well plate for 48 hours. Hoechst 33342 nuclear staining was used as
control. Fluorescence images were captured with CQ1. LipdTox red phospholipidosis and Hoechst 33342 emit red and blue fluorescence in the
same field, respectively.
0
2
4
6
8
1 0 1 0 0
P ro p ra n o lo l (μ M )
Fo
ld o
f D
MS
O C
on
tro
l
DM
SO
Results for red fluorescence were normalized to those of blue fluorescence
(Hoechst). Propranolol concentration-dependently increased phospholipid
staining.
Steatosis assay
HepG2 cells were exposed to the test articles in 96-well plate for 48 hours. Fixed cells were stained with LipidTOX™ Green neutral lipid stain
and the Hoechst 33342. Fluorescence images were captured with CQ1. The Green Neutral Lipid Stain and Hoechst 33342 emit green and blue
fluorescence in the same field, respectively.
0
0
2
4
6
8
1 0 1 0 0
C o n c e n tra t io n (μ M )
Fo
ld o
f D
MS
O C
on
tro
l
L o ra ta d in e
DM
SO
C y c lo s p o r in A
Results for green fluorescence (LipidTox Green Neutral Lipid Stain) were
normalized to those of blue fluorescence (Hoechst). Both Cyclosporin A and
Loratadine concentration-dependently increased the Green Neutral Lipid
Stain, suggesting the accumulation of steatosis.
The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents.
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is caused by many hundreds of widely prescribed drugs and is a leading cause of drug
development and registration failure, withdrawal of approved drug, and cautionary labeling which restricts drug usage.
The assessment of compound-induced hepatotoxicity has traditionally relied on in vivo testing; however the studies are
limited to a small amount of late stage compounds. In addition there are species-specific differences. Since most severe
DILI is due to hepatocellular injury, in vitro hepatotoxicity testing would provide valuable information to predict potential
risk.
WuXi Biology offers multiplexed in vitro assays to assess potential hepatotoxicity at cellular level. The assays use HepG2
(human liver hepatocellular carcinoma) cells, or human primary hepatocytes. By using these cells as in vitro models, all
assays listed in the General Cytotoxicity, Mitochondrial Toxicity, and Lipotoxicity sections in this brochure can be used to
evaluate potential hepatotoxicity. The combination of these assays will provide valuable information from different
endpoint to analyze the mechanism and severity of hepatotoxicity.
Recommended HepG2 hepatotoxicity first tier assays:
• Cell Viability Assay: a very sensitive marker to detect general toxicity;
• Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Assay: an indicator of poor respiratory capacity and cell health;
• Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) assay: ROS increase may result in significant cell structure
damage and cause oxidative stress;
• Caspase assay: measuring Caspase-3/7 activities.
Assay Features and Advantages:
• Plate-based assay (96- or 384-well plate) read by plate reader or high content image reader;
• Medium to high throughput with high sensitivity;
• Low cost with a short turnaround time;
• Short term (24 h) and long term (10~14 d) toxicity assays available.
HepG2 Cell Viability Assay
Reference
CompoundStaurosporine Tamoxifen Nefazodone Rotenone
Treatment 72h 72h 24h 24h
IC50 (µM) 0.036 ± 0.007 10.55± 0.59 48.09± 7.11 4.49± 1.05
n n=5 n=5 n=5 n=5
IC50 values of several reference compounds in our HepG2
cell viability assay.
The kidney’s primary function is the filtration and excretion of soluble waste while retaining key biochemicals. Thus its
design as a selective filter makes it particularly susceptible to toxic injury. Renal tubular cells, in particular proximal tubule
cells, are especially vulnerable to drug toxicity due to their prominent role in the filtration process which exposes them to
high levels of circulating toxins. Thus, our assays use human-derived cellular systems originating from the renal proximal
tubule epithelial cell line (HK-2) to maximize the predictive power of nephrotoxicity. The HK-2 cells are derived from
normal adult human kidneys and immortalized by transduction of the E6/E7 genes via HPV- 6.
WuXi AppTec has developed several nephrotoxicity assays to enable high throughput screening providing an early
assessment of nephrotoxic effects and the potential for kidney-specific cellular injury. In general, all assays listed in the
General Cytotoxicity and Mitochondrial Toxicity sections above can be used to assess nephrotoxicity, including the Cell
Viability Assay, Apoptosis assay, etc.
Validation data on HK-2 cells using the CellTiter-Glo viability assay. The assay
was run at 9 concentrations in triplicate and the dose response curve of
paclitaxel is presented. Two reference compounds, paclitaxel and staurosporine
were tested. The IC50 were 20 nM and 16 nM, respectively.
When DNA is exposed to particular chemicals, mutations and other damage can occur leading to cancer and/or
teratogenic effects. The severity of these effects then necessitates examining whether new or existing chemicals intended
for human use have any effect on DNA. This genotoxic potential is an integral part of the basic toxicological information
package used in the decision-making and risk assessment process of drug development. Since no single test is capable
of detecting all relevant genotoxic endpoints, a battery of tests for genotoxicity is recommended by regulatory agencies.
Mini Ames AssayThe mini Ames assay is modified from the standard Ames test that uses 6-well plates and 20% of the typical Ames assay
medium. The purpose is to generate a rapid screening test that utilizes small quantities of the test compound but still
gives results in agreement with those of the standard Ames assay. The mini Ames assay is widely used as an early
compound screen during lead optimization or preclinical candidate selection.
WuXi offers the Ames Microplate format (MPF) Assay, which corresponds to the Ames Fluctuation Assay that is cited in
the guidelines of OECD and FDA. The MPF assay uses a liquid format and 384-well microplates, which requires less test
compound, is time and cost-effective, but still shows good correlation with the traditional plate incorporation assay. The
MPF assay employs four Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100,TA1535 and TA1537, E. coli strain wp2 uvrA or wp2 uvrA
[pKM101] for mutagenic potential investigation in the presence or absence of a metabolic activation system (e.g., Aroclor
1254-induced rat liver S9). It generates a rapid screening and increases the throughput for drug mutagenic potential
assessment in the early stage.
Bacteria are preincubated with the test compound (6 concentrations, a positive and a negative control) in exposure medium supplied with
sufficient histidine or tryptophan with or without S9 for 90 minutes. The culture is then diluted into pH indicator medium without histidine (for
S. typhimurium) or tryptophan (for E. coli ) and aliquoted into 48 wells of a 384-well plate. After 48 h incubation, cells undergoing the reversion
to prototrophy will change the medium colour from purple to yellow, which can be detected visually or by microplate reader.
Relative mutagenic potential of reference compounds as detected
by Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. The number in the
table indicates the revertants/48 wells.
In vitro Micronucleus Assay
The in vitro micronucleus assay is another part of the recommended regulatory testing battery for genotoxicity as an
alternative to the chromosomal aberration assay. This assay also involves the analysis of chromosomal irregularities, but
unlike the chromosomal aberration assay which requires considerable training, micronucleus testing is much simpler,
faster and scalable. The micronucleus test examines the presence of micronuclei in the cytoplasm during interphase.
Micronuclei may originate from acentric chromosome fragments (i.e. lacking a centromere), or whole chromosomes that
are unable to migrate to the poles during the anaphase stage of mitosis.
In Vitro 3T3 NRU Phototoxicity Test
The in vitro 3T3 NRU phototoxicity test is used to identify the phototoxic potential of a test substance induced by the
excited chemical after exposure to light. The test evaluates photo-cytotoxicity by the relative reduction in viability of cells
exposed to the chemical in the presence versus absence of light. Now the test has been fully validated in WuXi Biology
Group using the permanent mouse fibroblast cell line, Balb/c 3T3, following the protocol documented in the OECD (432)
guideline. SOL 500 (Dr. Hönle AG) was used as the light source while SpectraMax2 (Molecular Devices) plate reader was
used to collect data.
Phototoxicity is defined as a toxic response from a substance applied to the body, which is either elicited or increased
after subsequent exposure to light, or that is induced by skin irradiation after systemic administration of a substance. The
regulatory guidelines for phototoxicity are covered by the ICH S108, and the OECD Guideline for the Testing of Chemicals
432: In Vitro 3T3 NRU Phototoxicity Test9.
Enabling Unbounded Possibilities
Contact
±
± ±
Results of two phototoxic compounds, chlopromazine and amiodarone hydrochloride. For the result evaluation, the Photo-Irritation-Factor (PIF)
was calculated using the following formula: PIF = IC50(-UV)/IC50(+UV). In this study the PIF values of the two compounds are consistent with the
reference data in OECD (432) guideline. A test material is defined as having a potential phototoxic hazard if the PIF value is or greater than 5.
References:
1. NRC Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (2007).
2. Sager, et al., Rechanneling the cardiac proarrhythmia safety paradigm: A meeting report from the cardiac safety research
consortium. American Heart Journal, 167: 292–300 (2014).
3. Colatsky, et al., The Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) initiative —Update on progress. J Pharmacol
Toxicol Methods, 81: 15-20 (2016).
4. Pei, et al., Chemical-defined and albumin-free generation of human atrial and ventricular myocytes from human
pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Res, 19: 94-103 (2017).
5. Sakamuru, et al., Application of a homogenous membrane potential assay to assess mitochondrial function. Physiological
Genomics, 44(9): 495–503 (2012).
6. Hynes, et al., A high-throughput dual parameter assay for assessing drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction provides
additional predictively over two established mitochondrial toxicity assays. Toxicology in Vitro, 27(2): 560–569 (2013)
7. Chatman, et al., A Strategy for Risk Management of Drug-Induced Phospholipidosis. Toxicol Pathol, 37(7): 997-1005 (2009).
8. ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline: Photosafety Evaluation of Pharmaceuticals S10. (2013).
9. OECD Guideline for the Testing of Chemicals 432: In Vitro 3T3 NRU Phototoxicity Test. (2004).